Risk to Benefit Ratio
by ClockworkScales
Summary: Geordi LaForge has decided to undergo an important medical procedure: transference, where a human's mind is transplanted into that of an android. Data has gained wind of this and demands to know why: How could a human be willing to throw away their humanity? Data-Geordi friendship. One shot.


Geordi LaForge was in engineering when his android friend sat in the chair next to him, by the warp coils.

'Geordi, I have received some disturbing news. May I speak with you?'

The man adjusted his visor on the side of his head, the equivalent of pressing one's glasses up their nose ridge. It was a habit that served no practical purpose but it was born out of the desire to remind people that the visor served a similar purpose to glasses. Since the engineer was born blind and the visor served as his eyes, he did not want people to equate the metallic attachment _as_ his eyeballs. He found that when they did, the less-scrupulous strangers treated him with all the cautiousness of an alien. He hated it.

'You heard about my decision to undergo the procedure,' Geordi stated simply, trying to be cool. He leaned back in his chair. 'Why does that disturb you, Data? You know, I won't be the first to do it. Plenty of people are having their minds transferred into android bodies, into positronic brains. It's a complicated procedure… but it works. That's the important thing. I'll finally be able to have vision that is remotely close to human.'

'I understand your desire to undergo the procedure,' Data said slowly, 'What I do not understand is why you would so easily throw your humanity away, given humanity is something I have strived to achieve for my entire life.'

Geordi lowered his head. Of course Data would feel that way...

'I don't mean to disrespect you, Data,' Geordi urged. 'But people long for different things in their lives. You ought to know that by now, right? And I've always longed for vision closer to that of a human… for normal vision. It might sound backwards to you, but in a way becoming android will make me feel _more_ human. That's how important this is to me.'

Data seemed to consider this point for a few moments.

Although Geordi could not see the android in the way others could, he imagined the android's golden eyes glazing over, his mouth gaping open slightly as he did when he thought on an opinion or thought that had not struck him. It was something that he heard from his coworkers happened frequently during their conversations about humanity. But even the imagined picture of Data was blurred, imprecise. Geordi knew it could not reflect reality.

'I will be the first to admit that it does seem contrary to reason, Geordi,' Data said, interrupting his train of thought. 'I thought the day when we would become true equals was when I became human, perhaps in some distant future. But I never considered the reverse would occur first - that you might first become an android. I do not like to adhere to human levels of moral tenacity but this seems wrong to me, Geordi, like a paradox. The Geordi I know is a rational man, a man of the sciences, rarely swayed by wild or strong emotions. But it does not appear to be the case here. I feel like you are settling for less because you are faced with an uncertain future - perhaps a future of continued suffering. To be honest, I think that you can do better. Patience suits you. A cure may yet be developed. Are you so impatient that you are willing to throw your humanity away instead of waiting for a cure for your visual disability?'

'"Wrong", "Do better"? "Settling for less"? Data, you sound very human right now, but that's really not working in your favour...'

Geordi was irritated. He understood Data's concern but at the same time he expected more support from his friend. A worrying thought crossed his mind - did Data consider his humanity comment a compliment? He hoped Data would know better than to accept it that way, but it was _Data_… even with his emotion chip activated Data was more human than actual humans… yet might he reach their level of arrogance?

'I apologize if I have upset you,' Data began. 'But I do not understand your insistence to undergo this operation. By my understanding the risks outweigh the benefits, so I can only conclude that your reasoning is flawed and that you are acting irrationally. Perhaps you could explain to me how that is not the case.'

Geordi clenched his fists under the table. Irrational?!

How could Data judge him when he had never experienced visual disability in his life? Did he know what it was like to deal with the pain, day after day, associated with wearing the visor? Of having to deal with being treated differently by strangers because he had a fancy metal clamp on his face? Of the uncertainty associated with finding a cure?

After all, people were being born blind all the time when they weren't terminated at birth for early-detected defects... it had been that way for hundreds of years. Yet a cure was no closer. Geordi just didn't envision a cure arriving in his lifetime, surely Data had to realize that too?

Geordi sighed. Perhaps he hadn't.

'Okay, Data, consider this… Operate under the assumption that nobody will find a cure for my visual defect in my lifetime. Do the risks outweigh the benefits then? And don't think about this in terms of what _you_ think are risks or benefits, try to think about the benefits from _my_ perspective. After all, if I'm willing to say goodbye to this fleshy mass of a body to be like you, to gain normal vision, then my desire to gain the closest semblance to human vision must be strong, right?'

'Yes,' Data agreed. 'But is not that desire one variable within many others?'

'Yes, but just weight the variable appropriately. You do that all the time, don't you?'

'I do,' Data said.

'Then what makes it different, here? It's just like in a linear regression, each variable has an associated weight which influences its impact on the outcome,' Geordi continued. 'And in this case the outcome is, say, my satisfaction with the operation. And so as a variable my desire to gain normal vision should be weighted heavily relative to the others.'

Data shook his head with a jerk.

'The outcome is still heavily influenced by the variable "loss of humanity",' Data said.

Geordi scowled. 'Then remove it!'

'I cannot, that would be incorrect,' Data said simply. 'It is a factor in the procedure and I believe it is a factor in your decision. Unless I am incorrect in my assumption, of course,' He paused, cocking his head. 'The only reason such a factor would be hypothetically removed was if the weighting was sufficiently low that its influence on the equation would become negligible.'

'Well, it _doesn_'t matter!' Geordi snapped. 'So get rid of it!'

Data blinked in surprise. 'But how could it not? You have been human your entire life… do you not value your humanity?'

Geordi got to his feet and leaned against the engineering console. How could he explain it to Data without offending him?

Geordi tapped his temple. 'I value my _mind_, Data. My mind is more important than my body. I value being able experience life like everyone else, like you. The humanity I've gained doesn't just change or disappear because I change the vessel my mind inhabits. Even _you_ have humanity, Data. You're more human than some of the humans I know. That proves that you don't need a human body to have humanity, so I wouldn't be throwing it away at all by becoming an android. Your assumption is incorrect. In addition to that... to be perfectly frank, you seem to experience human life more normally than me, too. People... Some people treat me as something less than human just because I wear a visor. It's an improvement over how it used to be, but it's still there. But people find you _fascinating_, Data! They are only fascinated in my visor insofar it saves them discomfort.'

'I do not follow you exactly. Perhaps you could clarify something for me. After all, I have observed that others have treated you differently for your condition,' Data continued. 'But some people also consider and treat me differently because I am an android. To be an android is to be less than human in the eyes of some people, so I do not see how social inequity is a valid reason to go ahead with the procedure.'

'Okay - fine. It's not a valid reason, at the very least I'll be treated in a similar way but it's beside the point - it was never my only reason. Listen, Data, let me put it this way... you are _perfectly normal_ by android standards, but I am _not_ normal by human standards - I don't feel _NORMAL_, Data!' Geordi said loudly. He sensed several other officers turning to stare at him. Geordi crossed his arms. 'The point of the matter is that I am willing to throw away my human body if it means I can feel normal, if I can be normal on _some _level. To me, feeling normal is the only thing that matters to me. It's the only thing that matters when considering this procedure.'

There was a long silence. Data raised his hand as if to make a point, his index finger raised. But he lowered it several seconds later, despite himself.

'Geordi -'

'No! Stop contradicting me! This isn't your decision!' Geordi yelled.

He hated to yell at Data, he really did. But Data did not seem to understand how much emotions played into this equation. It was not just a simple matter of risks and benefits in a physical sense, but in an emotional one. The potential emotional benefits outweighed the physical risk. After all, if he went ahead with some other medical procedure there was no guarrentee his vision would be restored - it may even be damaged beyond repair. But in the transference procedure there was hope... They could completely reconstruct his visual circuits in a machine and it wouldn't matter what limited optical nerves he started with.

'I'm going off duty for a few hours,' Geordi announced. 'I need some time to cool my head.'

As Geordi turned to leave, he heard and felt Data close by him, following him like a duckling. Geordi was tempted to turn and scream and the android but restrained himself. They walked together down the hall, Geordi focusing on calming his breath and heart rate.

'Why are you following me, Data? You're needed in engineering.'

Data's voice was calm and collected. 'I am also needed to support my friend.'

Geordi sighed and smiled, reaching the turbolift.

As the automatic doors closed he turned to Data and stared up at him. He looked like a blur of red, blue, and yellow colours. A small white aura surrounded him, homage to his metallic frame and electromagnetic field. One day, maybe Geordi would see him like everybody else. He looked forward to that day. Maybe he could look in a mirror and see himself as Data saw him.

'No more questions?' Geordi asked, weakly.

'None, Geordi,' Data said softly. The turbolift hummed as it ascended several floors. 'I must apologize for-'

'No, don't apologize, Data,' Geordi breathed. He wasn't the only one who had been questioning his motives, after all. At least Data had come to change his mind in record time, and he had to be grateful for that. The other Enterprise crew still considered his decision pending. As Counselor Troi had told him: "This is a major medical procedure. I think it would be best if you think carefully about whether you want to go through with this. There are benefits, but there are also _risks_. It is not a decision to be made lightly."

'But I _must_ apologize,' Data urged, as the turbolift came to a stop. 'I have hurt your feelings - the feelings of a good friend. I believe I may have inadvertently insulted you, also, and that is unacceptable to me. I merely wanted to understand your motives, but I think I understand them now… and I wish to show you my support, Geordi.'

'Well… Thanks…'

Geordi was grateful for the confession, but he was also tired.

Perhaps as an android he wouldn't feel tired, it was a curious thought.

As Geordi stepped out of the turbolift, he felt a hand grip his upper left arm, the fingers pressing firmly into his skin. The engineer turned to see Data still standing in the turbolift. The automatic doors shuddered at Geordi's sides, hesistant to crush his frame as he stood in the door frame.

Data's golden skin glowed in the bright lights of the turbolift, making his frame a tad clearer, but still a white blur. Maybe Geordi would be able to see Data as he really was, soon. With a discernable face and smile...

'Geordi,' Data began. 'I must return to engineering. But I want you to know that I wish you the best of luck with the operation and that you recover from the trauma swiftly. I believe as an android once human, you may be able to offer valuable insight on the human condition in terms I might better... relate to. And I will be there to help you adjust to your new body. I can help you navigate your positronic brain and can share with you some of the algorithms I have developed over the years...' Data released his hand from Geordi's arm, a mournful smile in his voice. 'And perhaps one day we may become human together.'

* * *

><p><em>AN: I believe MissMelysse suggested this fanfiction as an idea (but if I'm wrong, someone correct me) - the idea being showing the process of Geordi becoming human, undergoing "transference" as it is introduced in Mirror Image, a different fanfiction I wrote. I don't normally take suggestions but thought I should give credit. _

_Hope you liked it._


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